Kicking and Screaming
by LadyNightRunner
Summary: Cid likes Vincent, but won't admit it. Vincent likes Cid, but doesn't know it. The girl minding Reno figures it out, and decides to give things a push in the right direction. Unfortunatly, she's going to have to drag them all the way, kicking and screamin
1. A bit under the weather

Yo! Okay, here's the sitch: first off, I haven't gone and abandoned anything, but I've got something like...eight FFVII fics in the works, and this one got the prologue done first. Charli isn't meant to be a representation of anyone, and she may OR may not find romance during her stay. Please remember, this is a mainly Cid/Vincent thing. Really. She's just here to...help things along, and make an attempt at keeping Ren odear out of everyone's hair. Ciao!

* * *

It always turned out, Vincent thought fiercely, that whenever he did something that his companions weren't used to, everyone was paying attention. Like just now, when he'd sneezed. All five of his companions gave him funny looks.

"Are you okay Vinny?" Yuffie wanted to know.

"Yes." He answered. Ignoring her and not answering wasn't an option, because she was sheltering under his cloak from the heavy sleet and was therefore too close to ignore. And she knew that his ribs were sensitive, a fact she had discovered when trying to get him out a windowsill. Yuffie plus information like that meant that the ninja had a decidedly unfair advantage over him.

The truth was, he didn't feel okay. He was more or less soaked through, and he had a headache. Add a sore throat and a Yuffie under his cloak, and it all summed up to a most definitely _not_ okay Vincent. But, of course, he wasn't going to tell Yuffie that. Never.

When they reached the Highwind, Reno had hot cider ready and waiting for them. Joy. Vincent had completely forgotten about the redhead, who they were supposed to be keeping out of Rufus's hair for a while. Still, the cider was hot, which was a welcome thought after dealing with the crazy weather outside. He accepted a mug, and sipped. This turned out to be a bad idea. The cider stung his throat, and made him choke and sputter. Once again, everyone turned to look at him.

"You okay?" Cloud asked.

"_Fine_." Vincent growled, and retreated to one of the two couches in the living room/social gathering place thingy. (Yuffie's name for it)

"If I didn't know better, I'd say he didn't actually mean that." Reno said softly, eyeing Vincent over the rim of his mug.

"He didn't." The woman standing behind him murmured. Cloud jumped.

"Who're you?" He asked quickly. She laughed.

"Backup. I've been sent to help out in thanks for keeping Reno occupied. I'm Charlotte Wolfsbane. Call me Charli." She was on the tall side, at least four inches over Cloud's five feet six, and built on strong lines rather than the usual willowy woman's form. Her shoulders were broad, for a girl, with muscular arms and big hands. She was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, with work boots. Her hairstyle was just as sensible as the rest of her; it was reddish brown, streaked with lighter strands, and restrained in a messy braid, the tail of which had been tucked into the rubber band holding it.

"Help out?" Cloud repeated.

"Yep. Tell me what to do, and I'll do it." Reno snickered, and she glared at him. "_Not _that way, you little freak." Reno pulled away from her, covering his mouth with his free hand in an attempt to stifle his laughter.

"Like what?" Cid asked. "Do ya specialize in something?"

"Mechanics. I can cook when I have to, and I can sew."

"Sounds good to me. I could use help with maintenance." Somewhere out of sight, Reno cracked up. Charli rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, that pesky carrot-top is asking for it. Shall I?"

"Don't bother." Cid said. "Cloud just went."

"Ah."

"What did you mean by that?"

"By what?"

"You said that Vincent didn't mean what he said."

"Exactly what it sounded like. He wasn't telling the truth."

"How could you tell?"

"Well, he hesitated before answering, for one, and he almost missed the stairs."

"I didn't even notice." Cid murmured. A quick check into the common room showed him a pair of boots and long legs sticking out from an armchair. Apparently, Vincent had moved. He tiptoed down the four steps and approached the gunman warily. He knew from prior experience that treating Vincent like he would attack at any moment when he was in a bad mood was a good idea. He needn't have bothered. Vincent was sound asleep, his half-empty cider mug sitting on the floor beside him. Charli followed him, and leaned over his shoulder to look. "Does he look a little…flushed to you?"

"Yeah…a bit. Hang on, lemme check." Charli reached around him, and Cid grabbed for her hand. If she woke Vincent up, they were both screwed! "Calm down, flyboy. I won't wake him."

"You'd better not."

"Mmhm." Charli carefully slid Vincent's headband up, then pressed the back of her hand to the exposed skin. "He's got a low fever." She murmured. Cid stared at her while she replaced the headband.

"You're sure it wasn't just warmer under the headband?"

"I was just holding a mug of cider, which makes my hand warmer than it should be. Therefore, even if your point is true, which it probably was, I'd still be able to make a pretty accurate guess."

"Are you a mechanic or a doctor?"

"More like tomboy-of-all-work. I deal with Reno on a regular basis, remember? He's a _double_-handful of work."

"What should we do about Vin?" Cid asked.

"I say let him sleep. He probably needs it, and _I'm_ not gonna be the one to wake him up. Show me around the ship? Reno pointed out kitchen and common room, and that was it."

"Why not. Follow me."


	2. Who I am

'kay, here's the next installment y'all! Enjoy. And please, ignore Chaos. I don't know much about him, and thus fashioned him after my own twisted imagination. Tchus!

* * *

Later that afternoon, Cloud went in search of Charli. He wanted to know more about the woman. After asking around, he made his way down to where the main engines were housed. Cid was standing in the middle of what happened to be part of the ventilation system.

"Cid?" The blond pilot looked up.

"Wha?"

"Where's…what's her name…Charli?"

"Ober dere." Cid mumbled around the wrench in his mouth. He gestured towards the back of the cavernous room with a second wrench and then dove back into the machinery with the enthusiasm reserved for true mechanics. Cloud followed the directions given, and found a pair of familiar boots sticking out from underneath the Tiny Bronco.

"Um…Charli?"

"Just a sec…gotta get this bolt off…it's almost- _HELLO_!" She shot out from underneath the craft, accompanied by a splattering sound. When she stopped moving, Cloud could see that her face was liberally splattered with oil, as was the front of the coveralls she was wearing. "Ewww, gross! _Dammit_. Now anything I eat is gonna taste weird. A curse on sticky bolts! Hand me that towel over there, would you?" Cloud looked for the towel, found it, and handed it over. "Thanks." Charli wiped the worst of the oil off. "What can I do for you?"

"I just…wanted to talk." Charli raised an eyebrow.

"Talk? Counseling isn't one of my strong points. You should talk to Tifa for that." Cloud blushed.

"Not talk like that. I just want to know who you are."

"Ah. Tell ya what. The oil's gotta drain for about an hour, so how 'bout we go upstairs and avoid bothering the bossman?"

"_Bossman_?" Cloud repeated.

"Sarcasm is a fine art. And it's a must if you do any sort of service work. Besides, Cid's a great guy. A bit on the strange side, but who isn't?" Cloud grinned.

"Sure." Charli stripped off her coveralls and stopped to clean the rest of the oil off her face at a utility sink, then followed Cloud back up to the common room. It was deserted except for Vincent, who was still in his armchair. He'd rolled over, or had at least tried to, and had ended up curled in a ball with his head pushed into one of the back corners of the chair. He'd actually managed to get all of himself into the chair without going over the arms. Cloud was mildly impressed. She settled down onto the couch farthest from Vincent and patted the spot beside her.

"Ask away." Cloud paused. All of the questions he'd intended to ask just vanished from his memory. At first he'd been concerned for the safety of his friends on board, and wanted to know everything about Charli, in case she was…well, he wasn't sure what she might have been, but she certainly wasn't anymore. All he could see was a friendly, tomboyish woman with a good hand with machines and a way of making people like her without trying.

"How do you know Reno?" he asked finally.

"I work for Rufus Shinra, and I see more of Reno than most people can handle." Cloud smiled at this; he could understand what she meant. Reno could be a bit much for even the most patient of people.

"What do you do for him?"

"Odd jobs…mechanics, tracking down Reno when he's late, or vanished, or in trouble that he's hiding from…making coffee. But mostly mechanics, centered around the attitudinal redhead you've got on board and all the dents, dings, scratches, and other damage he manages to do to himself and _everything_ he touches on a day-to-day basis."

"And you got sent to us because…why?"

"Partly because of Reno. Rufus didn't want to leave him with you without someone who can handle him. And also…this is going to sound ridiculous, but I've got a ton of leave I haven't taken, so the plan is to leave you guys when we land in Wutai, enjoy myself for a little while, then catch a transport back home. I might take Reno with me. _Might_. He's hard enough to keep track of in a _contained_ environment."

"That much I understand."

"Mind if I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Did you decide to ask me this because you were worried I was some kind of psycho who might attack your friends?" Cloud turned very red.

"Sort of." He braced himself for some expression of offense, any sign that she had taken this fact badly. Instead, Charli started laughing. "What?"

"If I'd shown up in just about any other place, I'll bet nobody would have even _thought_ of asking me _anything_. It's a good thing you asked. And I'm glad you assumed I was a nut until told otherwise. It's smart."

"So you're not going to get offended?"

"Nuh-uh." Charli assured him. She leaned over the back of the couch, checking on Vincent.

"What are you looking at?"

"Hmm? Oh, just checking to see if Vincent was still asleep." From somewhere in the direction of the main stairwell came a distant yell of:

"Charli! Where are ya? Git yer butt down here!"

"Duty calls. Laters Blondie." With a mock salute, Charli was up and running towards the stairs again. Cloud followed behind her at a walk, and heard her boots thudding down the stairs, accompanied by, " I'm coming! Keep your goggles on!"

Once he was sure Charli hadn't fallen down the steps (a mistake he himself had made once or twice), Cloud slipped back into the common room to look at Vincent. It was so odd to see Vincent asleep where he could be seen…he was usually so alert around other people. Cloud shook his head; Charli seemed to be having an interesting effect of everyone.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Charli was back in her coveralls and helping Cid manhandle a replacement filter into the exhaust system.

"What did Cloud want?"

"Hmm? Oh, he just wanted to know who I am." Charli shifted the weight of the filter to her other shoulder. "Can I push it yet?"

"Who ya are?" Cid questioned. He loosened a couple of bolts. "Yeah, go ahead."

"Just to make sure I wasn't a murderer or something. A practice _you_ should try. What if I'd intended to sabotage the engines?" She pushed, and the filter, along with the component it belonged in, began to slide back into place. Cid, sitting on top of it, went along for the ride.

"I could tell ya weren't someone to worry about. And it's not everyday someone comes along who can handle my baby almost as well as I can." Charli grinned.

"Thanks."

"So…is Vincent still asleep?"

"Yep. Hey, watch your-" _Bonk _"-head."

"Gee, thanks fer the warning." Cid grumbled. He rubbed the back of his head, trying to massage the hurt out of it, then twisted around and glared at the offending corner.

"I didn't see it until you were almost there. I didn't have _time_ to warn you." Charli pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah. Some help you are. Hand me that ratchet, would ya?" Charli picked up the tool and handed it up to Cid, who scrambled up over the exhaust housing. "Push it the rest of the way in." She did, and Cid began replacing the bolts that held the filter in place.

"May I ask why you're so interested in Vincent?"

"I ain't _interested_ in him. He just…never gets sick, is all. It's kinda weird, y'know? That's all."

"_Sure_ it is. It's starting to get late; I think he should be moved." Cid snorted.

"Right. You have fun trying to wake him up without getting killed. I'll make sure his door's open."

"Oh ye of little faith. Reno sleeps with a gun under his pillow back home, and I've dragged him out of bed more times than I care to count, and he has yet to shoot me. I can handle it." Cid shook his head and slid down to the floor.

"This is _Vincent Valentine _we're talkin' about. A moody, unpredictable, never-misses-a-shot gunman with a demon in his head. _Not_ a psycho redhead."

"You're sure you aren't interested in him? You seem to know a lot about him." Cid turned pink and threw the ratchet at Charli. She grinned and caught it. "Looks like I struck a nerve."

"Shut up. He's just a friend. We both get up early, so we talk sometimes…" Cid attempted to dance around the subject at hand.

"You've trailed off, blushed, and asked about him, all in the last five minutes. I'd say you'd like to be more than friends." Cid went to from pink to red, and Charli patted him on the shoulder, grinning. "Was I right?"

"And if ya were? _He's_ straight anyway, and _don't_ go tellin' anyone about this, or I'll shove ya out the cargo bay doors." Cid huffed. He snatched the ratchet out of Charli's hand and stomped off towards the toolbox it had come from.

"I won't. You gonna open his door, or should I handle him on my own?" Her only response was muffled cursing, and she shook her head. "I'll be off then. Don't stay down here too long."

"Whatever. Just scram." Cid grumbled. Charli pulled off her coveralls and headed back upstairs.

Thankfully, Yuffie had yet to descend on the common room, so Cloud and Vincent were its only occupants. Cloud was totally absorbed in his book. (Charli suspected that he was actually asleep behind it.) She approached Vincent carefully, and shook his shoulder from an angle that assured a quick getaway, if needed. Vincent mumbled something and turned away from her. She tried again, a bit harder this time. Vincent blinked sleepily and looked up at her.

"_What_?"

"It's going to get considerably louder in here pretty soon. We thought you ought to move somewhere quieter."

"We?" Vincent repeated, questioning. He stood up, wobbled, and leaned slightly on Charli to keep from losing his balance.

"Cid and I. Which way to your room?" It might have been Charli's imagination, but she thought Vincent's face had taken on a slightly pleased expression at the mention of Cid.

"I'm fine, Ms Wolfsbane, and there is no reason for you or Highwind to fuss."

"So you _normally_ almost fall over when you get up?" Charli asked. Vincent balked.

"No, but-"

"And it's _normal_ for you to be running a fever?"

"Fever?"

"Yes, fever. This is beside the fact that you essentially passed out for the better part of the afternoon." Vincent was losing the argument, and he knew it. His choices now were to either continue arguing in an attempt to salvage his pride, or he could submit and hope she didn't fuss over him all evening. He chose a third option, which was to combine the first two.

"And if it _is_ normal?"

"Then I suggest you seek medical attention _immediately_, preferably from someone who is more qualified than I am. Now come on, we're going to your room. You can tell me where to go, or I can let you fall, then drag you all over the ship until I figure it out on my own."

"Left, right, up the stairs, two rights, down the hall, another left, and it's the second door on the right." He mumbled, gesturing along with his directions.

"Okay. Let's go, before Yuffie gets here." Vincent didn't reply, but allowed Charli to lead him away.

Vincent discovered that Charli _wasn't_ the mothering type. She herded him into his room, talked him in circles until he agreed to do what he was told, and sent him to bed. It was the first time in years that he'd been treated like a child, and it was vaguely refreshing.

"I'll bring dinner in later, okay? You just get some rest." That was the last thing she said before leaving. The door shut, and he was left in the dark, a dark that quickly gave way to sleep, and dreams…

It was another one of those where he walked in his own mind. This time, just as it had happened often before, Chaos was there, waiting for him. The demon was sitting on a fallen log, and patted the spot beside him, indicating that Vincent should sit. He did.

_What have you done to our body now, Valentine?_

I've done nothing to _my_ body.

_Whatever. It's not like you to sleep the afternoon away, and you've had a headache all day._

How would _you_ know?

_I'm in your head, remember? I know when you sleep, and _I've_ had the same stupid headache myself. So I'll ask again: what did you do?_

I didn't _do_ anything. It's just a cold.

_Cold? Ah…you're ill. You're getting careless. We haven't been sick in years. Why now?_

Well, it might have something to do with the fact that the vaccinations and boosters I got when I was with the Turks…and in the lab…have worn off. I suppose running around in the sleet didn't help. And it's _me_, not _us_.

_Moron. Running around in bad weather. Where is your common sense? You're supposed to be the _thoughtful_ one on this metal monstrosity._

Someone else has taken that position.

_Who?_

Charli.

_Ah…her. The woman. She's an interesting one…there's something about her that I can't quite place._

Can you just leave me alone so I can actually _rest_? I don't want this cold to last any longer than it has to.

_You're sure it's just a cold?_

Don't jinx me!

_Superstitious ninny. Sleep then, and pleasant dreams. _

With you around? I think not.

_Yeah, yeah. Whine all you like. Dreams beyond this kind of thing aren't my doing. _

Whatever you say…


	3. Maybe more than a bit

Here's the next installment! Yeah, porr Vinnie's got a bit of a stomach bug. And Cid puts Charli in her place. Let's hear it for Chaos's commentary!

* * *

Cid knocked on the door, careful of the tray in his other hand. Charli had all but ordered him to take dinner to Vincent. She couldn't actually tell him what to do, but she'd just talked him around in circles until he agreed without meaning to. "Girl's too smart for her own good." He grumbled. "Vin? You awake?" No response. Cid sighed. He _really _didn't want to invade Vincent's room without the gunman's permission, but Charli's directions had been specific.

"_Could you make sure he eats?" _she'd asked. He'd responded in the negative. Only an idiot tried to wake Vincent, and only someone with a death wish tried to make him do something if he didn't want to. He was neither, and was being asked to do both. Charli pointed out that she'd survived it, so he should too. _"He needs to eat something. Tell him I said so, if it'll help."_

"It won't help." Cid grumbled. The tray wobbled, and he steadied it, reducing himself to opening the door with his hip. It swung open on a dark room. Cid could just make out a lump under the blankets on the bed that must be Vincent. "Hey, Vin?"

"Mmmnn? Whazzit?" Uh-oh. He'd been asleep.

"I brought dinner for you."

"Not hungry. Go away." Cid paused for a moment, taken aback. Vincent generally used language much more intelligent than that. Surprising what a little cold could do to a person.

"Charli said you had to eat, and I had to make sure you did."

"You can tell her I said no."

"And I can tell you that I'm not giving you a choice." Vincent and Cid both jumped. This resulted in Vincent going over the far side of the bed, and Cid dropping the tray. Charli caught it. "You didn't eat anything when you came back, and you're not going 'til tomorrow morning without eating _something_."

"I'm not hungry." Vincent growled, pulling himself back onto the bed and burrowing under the blankets again. "And I can."

"Mmhm. Maybe I should talk to the demon in your head? I'll bet he'll be more reasonable." Vincent glared at Cid over his blankets.

"I'm going to kill you, Highwind." He hissed, then pulled the covers over his head as Charli approached.

_She's a smart one, isn't she? _Chaos murmured. _She's got the sense to try and reason with _me. _I _like_ her. _Vincent didn't respond. Charli sighed.

"Suit yourself." She handed the tray back to Cid and climbed onto the bed. A little shoving ended with Vincent lying flat on his back, with Charli sitting on him. Cid stared. "Still gonna argue?"

"Yes." Vincent growled.

_No_ Chaos said.

"Suit yourself. Cid, would you hand me the soup please?"

"Don't do it, Highwind."

_Do it!_

"Please?" Cid weighed his options, and decided that, since Vincent didn't seem capable of chasing him down and attacking him at this point and Charli _did_, he'd better help her. He held out the bowl, taking care to stay out of Vincent's reach. "Thank you."

"Sure." Charli got a spoonful of soup, handed the bowl back to Cid, and turned back to her victim.

"Last chance to surrender."

"_Never_."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I wo- mmph!" Charli took advantage of Vincent's mouth being open and shoved the spoon in before he had a chance to react. Then she smacked a hand on his mouth and kept it there until he swallowed.

_Smart woman. And dumb host. If you'd kept your mouth shut, that wouldn't have happened._

"I'll continue this until you just eat." Charli warned. "Give?" Vincent nodded.

"Do I have to eat _all_ of it?" he asked, in a tone that could _almost_ be classed as hopeful.

_Wimp! Wimp!_

"At least half. Deal?"

"Deal." Vincent sighed.

_Loser!_

"And Cid, can you make sure he does?"

"_Highwind._" Vincent growled warningly.

"Uh…yeah, sure. I will."

"Thanks." Charli said, and left as silently as she'd come.

"She's as quiet as you are, Vin." Cid breathed, watching the door to make sure she didn't come back. "Kinda scary." He turned back to the gunman on the bed, and found him eyeing the soup with an expression of distaste. "What?"

"Are you going to make me eat it?"

_Of _course_ he is, moron. That's why he's still here._

"Vin, I can't _make_ ya do anything, but she did have a point. Ya really _should_ eat somethin'."

_Oh. Well, I was _close. _Sort of._

"And you're going to stay here and watch until I do?"

_I bet he won't._

"Since the other option is to go and explain to her why I didn't, yeah, I guess I am." Vincent stirred the soup thoughtfully for a moment.

"You aren't _afraid_ of her, are you?"

"_No._ But I think she can throw me from the common room to the kitchen, so I think arguing with her is a waste of time if there isn't an impenetrable barrier between us. Like a 3-foot thick metal wall."

_Oooh…scary._

"She's definitely interesting." Vincent murmured. He absently ate a spoonful of the soup. "She handles Reno well."

"Yeah, I thought it was some kinda trick at first, it was so weird. Almost like she's his big sister or somethin'."

"Reno having siblings is _not_ a thought I'd like to cultivate before bed, Highwind." Vincent said flatly, pointing at Cid with the spoon. "I have enough nightmares as it is."

"I don't see what the prob- _oh_. Yeah, that would be a pretty scary thought." Cid shivered, and Chaos gave Vincent a mental smack.

_Quit flirting._

Cid went quiet, and Vincent turned back to his soup, trying to hide his blush. He _really_ needed to teach Chaos the concept of bad timing. The soup wasn't bad, but definitely had something in it that didn't quite belong, meaning Yuffie had been on KP duty today. Whatever it was, it seemed kind of…spicy. A rather nice change, but irritating for his throat.

_Either give it up, or go back to flirting, moron._ Chaos growled. Vincent ignored him, and continued focusing on his soup. His gaze roamed around the room, since he'd long ago learned to never look at any soup or stew Yuffie had made. The people of Wutai seemed to think that if it was still looking at you, it tasted that much better. Vincent _and_ Chaos found it disturbing.

Eventually, he ended up looking at Cid. The blonde pilot was tracing a pattern of pen lines on his forearm; it looked like someone had gotten bored and used it for an impromptu easel at some point today. Cid looked up and caught Vincent's gaze, then followed it to the markings on his arm.

"Got bored listenin' to Shera on the phone earlier, an' started to doodle. Guess I got a little carried away." He twisted around so Vincent could see the marks properly. Most of them were just that, lines of blue ink ranging from a single stroke to nearly an inch across, but there were some images buried among them…lightning…something that reminded him of ocean waves…clouds…and a vaguely lionish shape half-formed from a flurry of lines that made him think of the wind.

"It's interesting." He murmured. Much to his surprise, Cid blushed. This made him, in Vincent's eyes, even more attractive. It also made his stomach do that funny twist sort of thing it had a habit of doing when Cid was around. Vincent decided eating any more would be a bad idea, and set the bowl on the table beside the bed.

"Not gonna finish?" Cid asked, eyeing the bowl. Vincent shook his head.

"I don't think I can keep it down." He admitted, trying hard not to meet Cid's gaze. That would make his stomach do funny things again, something he didn't want to handle right now.

"Stomachache?"

"Something like that." Vincent mumbled. He burrowed back underneath his blankets, but not before Cid leaned over him and checked his temperature. His hand felt nice, a little rough, but strong and warm. It was hard to stomp on the idea Chaos had to butt the hand like a cat hoping for more attention.

"Y' still have a fever." Cid commented. He pulled away from Vincent, and fussed a bit with the blankets, using it as an excuse to stay in the room for a moment or two longer. "Well…if ya need anything, just holler, 'kay?"

"Sure." Vincent yawned. "Thanks." He saw Cid smile as he left, and rolled over with a little sigh. He might be feeling miserable, but it wasn't so bad when Cid was caring for him, at least in part.

Cid closed the door carefully, and headed back to the kitchen with the remainder of the soup. Charli was waiting for him when he got there, sitting on the counter and lecturing Reno. From the sound of it, he'd played some trick on Yuffie.

"And if I ever- Oh, hey Cid – _ever _catch you being _that_ stupid again, I will _personally_ see to it that you are hung from some very high place by your ponytail and _left _there for a _very_ long time. Understand?" Reno nodded. He actually looked like he was going to obey orders. "Good. Now shoo." Reno shooed.

"What was he up to?" Cid asked, setting the bowl by the sink and hopping up to sit beside Charli.

"Ambush. The genius decided to crawl into the vents and scare Yuffie. I caught him before he went all the way in and dragged him out…you didn't hear him yelling?"

"Uh…no. Should I have?"

"Everyone else did." Charli said. She eyed Cid. "You weren't…messing around…with Vincent, were you?" Cid turned a spectacular shade of red, and Charli cracked up.

"I did _not_! Even if- git yer mind outta the gutter!- and _he_ isn't- you sick little- we wouldn't- _I'd _never- Aaarrgh!" Cid couldn't put a proper sentence together, so he settled for a frantic babble in which he attempted to state all the points he deemed important. It made little to no sense, but Charli got the gist of it, and laughed even harder. Cid resisted the urge to pout and stomp his feet, and rummaged around in the freezer instead.

"I was just kidding, Captain. Reno was at the other end of the ship, and the only reason everyone else heard him is because I dragged him into the common room, where they all were. With the exception of you and Vincent, of course. No need to get so worked up about it." Cid glared at her over the carton of ice cream he'd located. "Okay. Sorry. I was just messing with your head. You're easier than Reno, y'know?"

"Am not." Cid sniffed. Charli leaned over his shoulder to peer at the ice cream. "It's Turtle Sundae, and it's _mine_."

"Jeez, territorial much?" Charli sniffed. Cid grunted. "Uh-_huh_. Did he eat?" If the sudden subject change surprised Cid, he gave no sign of it.

"Some. Not quite half though. And before you start on how he _said_ he'd eat half, he said he didn't think his stomach could handle it. His fever's risen a bit too."

"If I had to guess, I'd say he's got a mild case of the flu. It's been going around. Reno had it, about two weeks ago. _He_ lost his voice though…it was really quiet around work. I'll check on Vincent again before I go to bed."

"I can do that." Cid offered. "I go past his room to get to mine."

"Sounds good. Got anything else for me to do?"

"Nah. No work after dinner unless it's an emergency." Cid said.

"Great. I'll be playing cards in Yuffie's room if I'm needed."

"_No_ strip-poker, you hear?"

"Do I _want_ to know why you're telling me that?"

"No."

"I thought not. Well, I'll keep that it mind. G'night Cap'n."

"Night." Cid mumbled, waving vaguely. He was more interested in the bowl of ice cream he'd dished up. Charli laughed, slid off the counter, and left.

When every last bit of Turtle Sundae had been scraped out of the bowl, Cid left it and the spoon in the sink and checked the clock. Quarter after ten. Bedtime. But first, he had to check on Vincent.

Thankfully, Vincent hadn't locked his door. This either meant that he just didn't want to get up to lock it, or he didn't mind/actually wanted company.

"Vin?" No response. Good. He needed the sleep. Carefully, Cid crept to the side of the bed. Vincent had kicked his blankets mostly off, revealing that, at some point this evening, the gunman had changed into black pajama pants and shirt, which was unbuttoned enough to display the smooth, pale skin over his collarbone. Doing his best to ignore it, Cid pulled the blankets back up and checked Vincent's temperature; it was the same as it had been when he'd left. Vincent shifted at the touch, and rolled onto his side, bringing him to the edge of the bed and Cid's hip.

Mentally, Cid swore. Now he _couldn't_ move, because Vincent's precarious balance depended on him staying put. Moving him at this angle would be awkward if he didn't want to wake him…

Blissfully unaware of the situation he'd gotten the pilot into, Vincent leaned into Cid a little more, unconsciously seeking the warmth Cid's body provided. The blonde braced his feet, praying Vincent didn't try to roll again. If he did, it was likely they'd both end up on the floor. Vincent sighed and turned his head, causing his bangs to fall over his eyes. Without thinking, Cid reached out and brushed them back out of the way.

/Meanwhile, in Vincent's head/

_Valentine? I suggest you wake up._

Chaos, go away.

_Can't. I'm stuck in here._

No, I mean just for now. I want to sleep.

_I know you do, but it's _important_! Wake up!_

Okay, okay.

/Vincent's room/ Vincent mumbled the last two words out loud, and rolled over. Normally, he slept on his stomach, so getting up required rolling over. The extra weight on Cid made the blonde lose his balance. Gunman and pilot ended up on the floor in a tangle of limbs and blankets.

"Highwind?" Vincent mumbled groggily, trying to make some sense of the situation.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Cid explained, trying to figure out which legs were his so he could free them.

"'s okay." Vincent said, kicking at the blankets hopefully. It didn't help. He sighed and managed to sit up, then pulled Cid into the same position. Together, they found one edge of the blankets and started to unwind themselves. "Just out of curiosity, Highwind…what are you doing in my room?"

"Charli said someone should check on ya before bed…I volunteered." Vincent gave up trying to free himself and leaned against the bed. He was quiet for a moment, then smiled slightly, a fact Cid failed to notice.

"Since when does Captain Highwind take orders from a Turk?"

"She ain't a Turk."

"Close enough. She baby-sits one."

"I don't _take orders_ from her, I _volunteered_," Cid sniffed. Vincent shook his head.

"_Right_. She's got you backed into a corner and you _know_ it. In fact, I do believe she also has a gun to your head. What _I'd_ like to know, however, is what the bullet is that she's loaded her gun with."

"What?"

"She obviously has some sort of edge. Holding something over your head, so to speak. Care to explain?"

"_No_." Cid growled. He finished untangling his left foot and tried to stand. He managed, and stood there, wobbling only slightly, as he worked on the other foot. Vincent let him do it, assuming the ability to wing-walk in the middle of a storm had something to do with Cid's admirable balance. Or it _seemed_ admirable, until Vincent thought about it. Cid lost his balance and fell onto Vincent.

_I think he's falling for you._ Chaos snickered. Vincent made no response, because he'd been completely winded by Cid's less than graceful landing. And the blonde pilot's elbow had been jammed into his stomach, which was retaliating by doing unpleasant things. He needed to get Cid off him. Now.

"H-Highwind." He managed.

"What?" Cid growled impatiently, struggling with the blanket a bit more. When Vincent didn't reply, he twisted around to look at the gunman. Vincent had his right hand clamped over his mouth, and he looked decidedly frantic. Realization dawned in Cid's eyes, and he scrambled to get off Vincent. The ex-Turk succeeded in staggering to his feet, and bolted out of view.

Cid sat still for a minute, still processing what had been a very sudden chain of events.


	4. Selfloathing

Here ya go, sorry it took so long. In case it isn't already obvious...I love Chaos! And he's gotten himself into a bit of a predicament...

* * *

Sometime later, Cid helped a thoroughly miserable Vincent back to his room. After successfully maneuvering through the doorway, it was relatively easy to get him into bed and settled down. Vincent had no fight left. Between the dry heaves and the actual vomiting, he'd given up pretending to be even marginally okay. Something about it made Cid hurt inside, because seeing the gunman this way was painful. Vincent was such a proud, strong man. It didn't seem…right.

"D'ya need anything before I go?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Highwind, thank you." Vincent mumbled. Cid tucked the blankets around him, and he relished the fleeting closeness.

"Okay. Sleep well." Before he left, Cid leaned down and brushed a quick kiss on Vincent's forehead. He gave Vincent no chance to question the action, and hurried out.

_Well, what do you know? I think he might like you._ Chaos murmured. _Interesting. Maybe _more_ than like. You've got a keeper there._

"He's just being nice because I'm so pathetic." Vincent answered, curling up under the blankets. "There's nothing there but friendship."

_That's what _you_ think. You're afraid of entering another relationship, Valentine. He's not the kind to love you and leave you. He knows better then that. You should give him a chance._

"There's no way he cares for me the way I do for him." Vincent said softly. He pulled the blankets over his head and drifted off to sleep, intending to finish the conversation once he was fully asleep.

_You've got to stop this._ Chaos snapped, shoving Vincent into a sitting position. _If you keep dwelling in the past, then you'll never _live

This coming from someone who can't die on his own.

_To hell with it, Valentine, this isn't about _me_! This is about _you_ and your stupid ideals. You may have loved her, but she didn't share the feelings. She left when something better came along, and you _know_ it. The only thing to mourn is the fact that she tried to use you. _Tried! _She failed, and that's why I am in here now, because Hojo found a way to break you even further._

You don't understand, Chaos.

_Yes, I do. Back when we had just become one, I could read your thoughts and memories like an open book. I saw _exactly_ what happened, how you handled it, and what Hojo did after he found out._

Don't bring that up.

_I'll bring it up when I damn well want to! At the rate you're going, your future is shaping up to be a pretty dismal place. You refuse to find a permanent home. You refuse to find a partner. You don't let anyone get close to you. You shy away from physical contact, don't actively participate in conversation, and generally make yourself as miserable as possible. _That's_ what I find pathetic. Human beings are a social race, and they always have been. You can't ignore them forever! You're one of them!_

I'm a monster.

_Oh, don't you _dare_ start on _that_ again! Valentine, you're no more a monster than I am a chocobo! Just because you've been altered doesn't mean you aren't human! Look at Barret! He's got a mechanical arm that has a gun in it. Look at _Cloud_! He's undergone more Mako treatments than most human beings could even remain _intact_ through, let alone actually _surviveThey_ don't see themselves as monsters._

Chaos, just drop it.

_I will _not_ drop it! I live in here, in case you'd forgotten! I can sense your emotions. You _want_ to be loved. You _want_ to be accepted. You _need _to be wanted. Well, I've got news for you. That's not going to happen if you keep pushing it away because you _think_ you're a monster that doesn't deserve to be loved._

I must atone for my sins.

That's a lie, and you know it. The only sins you've committed since we woke up involve not being able to control me when I get angry, and that isn't your fault! 

Lucrecia…

_To _HELL_ with Lucrecia! She's in the _past_! Valentine, Cid has feelings for you! If you ignore him, he'll go away and you'll be left alone because you were too afraid to open up and _love_ again!_

This didn't have the desired effect. Instead of giving Vincent a new lease on life, so to speak, Chaos's lecture-turned-rant made Vincent turn away and pull his knees up to his chest, hiding his face in his hands.

Vincent, I didn't mean it that way, I just… 

Just leave me alone, Chaos. Please.

_Alright. Just…think about what I said…I don't want to be the only person you allow past the walls you've put up around yourself._ Chaos murmured. He patted Vincent's shoulder, and vanished. It was a long time before Vincent was able to fall past the almost-dream world and into dreams.

Cid was up by 7 o'clock the next morning. The first thing he did was go check on Vincent. The gunman was curled up in the exact center of the bed, completely covered by the blankets. Cid pulled them back carefully, not wanting to wake Vincent. He looked peaceful, and oddly feline, with his hand covering the lower half of his face. Cid smiled, and pulled the blankets up again, but left enough room to ensure Vincent could still breathe.

Charli was helping Tifa with breakfast when he wandered into the kitchen, and was apparently having fun doing it.

"Morning Captain!" She caroled, waving at him with a dishtowel.

"Morning. Whatcha makin'?"

"Waffles and fruit salad." Tifa said. Cid reached around her for a piece of apple, and she smacked his hand away. "Hands off."

"D'you need me for anything else?" Charli asked. Tifa shook her head, "Then I'm gonna go. Care to join me?" The question was directed at Cid. He nodded, and accepted a steaming mug of tea before following Charli into the common room. They were the only ones there, because Cloud and Reno both liked to sleep late. "How's Vincent?"

"Hmm?"

"Vincent. You were supposed to check up on him last night. Did you forget?"

"No, I checked. He seems okay now, but he was pretty sick last night."

"Sick? Did his fever spike or something?"

"Nah. Sick to his stomach. It was kinda my fault."

"_Your_ fault?"

"Yeah. I fell on him, and my elbow got him in the stomach pretty hard." Charli gave him a _look_, then sighed.

"Did you stay with him?"

"Yeah. He couldn't support himself, so I had to. And someone had to get him back to bed."

"At least you've got sense," Charli muttered. "I'll go check up on him later."

"I can-" Cid began, but Charli cut him off.

"You _do_ have other duties besides playing nurse, Captain. I'm not saying that you can't see him or anything, but please remember the ship, crew, and everyone else on board. I may be a mechanic, but I can't fly this thing just because you want to check up on Vincent." Cid nodded, looking a little disappointed. "He'll be _fine_."

"Yeah, I know," Cid mumbled, avoiding Charli's eyes.

An hour or so later, Charli stepped into Vincent's room with a cup of tea and a thermometer. "Vincent?"

"Nnng. G'way."

"Not happening. How're you feeling?"

"I repeat my earlier statement," Vincent mumbled, refusing to look in Charli's direction.

"And I repeat mine. C'mon, big guy, sit up. I brought you some tea." Vincent winced.

"_Please_ no."

"It's pretty weak, so your stomach should be able to handle it." Noting Vincent's expression, Charli shrugged. "Cid told me about last night."

"Did he tell you that it was his fault, too?" Vincent asked sourly, rolling over and propping himself up with one arm.

"Yes, he did. And don't sound so disdainful; he didn't fall into you on purpose." Vincent said nothing. "Open up." When he didn't respond, Charli tapped his lips with the thermometer. "Open." He did. "Thank you. I take it you don't feel up to a real breakfast?" Vincent shook his head. "I didn't think so. G'morning, Chaos." The demon in question did the mental version of a showy, flirting stretch and smiled.

_Good morning, beautiful._

I am _not_ relaying that.

_Why not?_

Because I'm just not. I don't even want to talk to you yet.

_I apologized, okay? And you'd better come up with a better reason for not telling her._

How about because I have a thermometer in my mouth, and am therefore unable to speak?

_Good enough. I can wait._

The thermometer beeped. Charli took it.

_There ya go. Tell her._

"Chaos says good morning."

_I said good morning _beautiful_, you useless interpreter!_

I want nothing to do with your crush.

_It's not a crush!_

Charli smiled. "He's more of a morning person than you, isn't he?" She offered Vincent the tea. He took it and held it, allowing the warmth to permeate his hands.

"You could say that."

_Of _course_ I'm a morning person! There's a gorgeous woman playing nurse in here!_

Please be quiet.

_I don't wanna._

"You didn't have anything planned today, did you?"

"Like what? We're on an airship."

"I dunno…trying to shoot my charge, perhaps?" That made Vincent smile a bit.

"I never _try_ to shoot something. I always hit my targets."

_Showoff_.

"Quit stalling and drink that tea," Charli said. Vincent looked rather guilty, and cautiously sipped at his tea.

_So in control._ Chaos murmured dreamily.

Do I need to remind you that you don't have a _body_?

_Sure I do._

Other than _mine_.

_It's mine too._

She's too young for you.

_Says who?_

Says me.

_You're not my boss._

But I am your body.

_I am not _old

Yes, you are.

_I'm young, for us._

Us?

_My kind. I'm just a little older than her._

"Heeeeelllllllooooo? Vincent?" Vincent became aware of Charli waving a hand in front of his face. "Ah, there ya are."

"What?"

"You were zoning out on me. Everything okay?"

"Chaos is being rowdy."

_Am _not

"Rowdy? How?" Vincent decided to be mean.

"I think he likes you."

_TRAITOR!_

"Uh-_huh_," Charli smirked. Vincent felt very proud of himself, and drank a little more of his tea. Chaos threw a virtual hissy-fit.

_I _hate_ you! I _HATE_ you! **I **_**HATE_ YOU!_**

You deserved it.

_**I HATE YOU!**_

"I think I'll be flattered," Charli murmured thoughtfully. "Not every girl can say she's got a demonic admirer."

"I'm sure."

_Ah…such a lovely voice._

You're hopeless.

"Okay. You've got a choice."

"Choice of what?" Vincent asked, setting his tea on the bedside table. Charli caught him, picked the tea up, and put it in his hands again.

"I can pump you full of meds now, or we can wait and see how you're doing, say, this evening or tomorrow morning."

"Definitely wait," Vincent said firmly.

"You're the boss. Finish that tea though, you need it." Vincent sighed heavily, and sipped at the tea again. Charli got up, headed for the door, then stopped and went back to the bed. "I almost forgot." As soon as he heard the tone of her voice, Vincent knew Charli was up to something. Sure enough, she leaned down and kissed his cheek. "For Chaos," she said, and left.

_She likes me! _Chaos cheered.

I think she was just humoring you.

_What do you know about romance?_

Plenty.

_Since when?_

Since always.

_Who got a kiss, then?_

Me, actually.

_I hate you._

So harsh, Chaos! I'm hurt!

_Shut up and drink your tea._


	5. A chance

Gah! Sorry it's so late! I've been at a loss for what to do with these guys as of late, and I just got going again! I am soooooo sorry!

* * *

Charli made her way down to the engine room. Cid was already there, still working on the monumental task of cleaning out the filters in the vents. He had another filter out, and was rinsing it when she arrived. He gave her a nod of acknowledgement and kept on working. Charli pulled on her coveralls and joined him.

"Is he awake?"

"Subtle, Captain. Very subtle." Cid flushed.

"It was a valid question!"

"Mmhm. I'm sure."

"Just answer it."

"Yes, he's awake." Cid waited for more, but Charli just tugged the filter from his hands, flipped it over, and began to rinse the other side. "What?"

"I was kinda expectin' you to say a bit more."

"You didn't ask for a status report."

"I didn't think I needed to," Cid grumbled. Charli grinned. "Dammit woman, quit messin' with my head!"

"Of course."

"Assistant Mechanic Wolfsbane, I want a status report! _Now_," Cid barked. Charli dropped the filter and snapped to attention, just as he'd been hoping. She'd spent enough time with ShinRa to recognize a direct order from higher up. Good.

"Yes _sir_!"

"Proceed," Cid growled, falling easily into the old habits.

"Vincent Valentine is-or was- awake, sir. Fully coherent. Had a fever of 100.5 degrees, sir. _Very_ cranky, and apparently having mental conversations with Chaos. I gave him a cup of tea, sir, and talked with him for a few minutes, sir." Charli finished, saluted, and took a deep breath. "Further orders, sir?"

"At ease," Cid responded, picking the filter up from where Charli had dropped it. "And don't make me have to do that again."

"Of course. You're really evil, y'know? Using tricks like that."

"It worked. Your salute needs work; it's a little sloppy. And using 'sir' in the middle of a sentence is _not_ proper form. _Don't_ do it again."

"Aye aye, Captain."

Some time later, when Cid had had enough of vents for a while and Charli had gone off to goof around with Yuffie somewhere, Cid snuck back to see Vincent. He was surprised and a little pleased to see the gunman sitting up in bed, reading a history of firearms that Cloud had gotten him last Christmas. He looked up when Cid opened the door in a way that suggested it would have been better if the pilot had knocked.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I figgered you'd still be asleep."

"I should be," Vincent answered, shrugging. "I'm just trying to irritate my self-appointed nurse." He indicated the end of the bed with his book. "Sit down?"

"Sure."

_Not _againChaos wailed. _I'm sick of this lovey-dovey nonsense! If I can't flirt with Charli, you can't flirt with Cid!_ The demon threw another fit, though he only succeeded in worsening Vincent's headache.

"Nnh." Vincent winced and put his free hand to his temple.

"Somethin' wrong?"

"Chaos," Vincent said shortly. He put his book down and brought his other hand up. Cid hesitated, then stood up, went around the bed, and sat down again, behind Vincent. He reached out and tugged Vincent's hands away.

"Let me," he murmured, and began gently massaging Vincent's temples. Vincent stayed tense under his hands. "What's he up to?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean Chaos?"

"Yeah."

"He's mad at me."

"What for? It's not like there's been anything for you to keep him from doing recently."

"Actually, there is." Cid stopped rubbing for a moment.

"Like _what_?"

"Like not allowing him to flirt with Charli."

"_Charli_?" Cid repeated incredulously. Vincent nodded. "He's got weird taste, that's for sure."

"You don't find her attractive?" Cid snorted.

"Not like _that_ I don't. She ain't my type. Not by a long shot. Girls that can break me in half aren't really my style."

_How about _men_ that can break you in half?_ Chaos grumbled. Vincent shushed him absently. There was a chance…

"What _is_ your type?" he ventured.

"Guess," Cid said.

"The kind you had painted on the old Highwind." Vincent answered at once, because that was what he'd always thought.

"Nah, not really." Vincent raised one eyebrow, and Cid shrugged. "I don't like the 'oh, I'm so delicate that I can't do a thing for myself' type. An' I don't like soft bodies. Soft skin, sure, but I can't stand it when whatever I'm trying to hold moves when the body doesn't. It's just weird, y'know?"

"Then what _do_ you like?" Vincent prodded, too interested now to admit that just asking was breaking his heart.

"Tall," Cid said firmly. "Taller 'n me. Just 'cuz I'm short don't mean I want short people around me. And strong, preferably athletic. A little muscle never hurt anyone. Maybe someone who can fight. I get into all kinds of stuff, and if I have to break off to defend somebody else, we might both end up dead."

"Anything else?" Vincent asked. Cid nodded firmly.

"I like black hair. Straight, and not too long. I don't really have a preference when it comes to eyes but…I like exotic colors, like red and purple."

"You've seen a woman with _purple_ eyes?"

"Yeah, in Costa del Sol. An' they weren't contacts- I asked."

"Black hair, unusual eyes, tall, athletic, possibly some kind of warrior. _That_ narrows the dating pool down to a handful of women, at least half of whom I can assure you must be Amazons."

"Who said they have to be girls?"

"Huh? Could you-"

"_CID_! Get _down_ here! Help me turn it _off_!" Charli's voice echoed from somewhere below. "This is _your_ damn baby I'm trying to hold together! Git yer butt down here _now_!"

"I…er…I kinda hafta…um…go, I guess…I'll…uh…be back…um…later. Bye." Cid scrambled out of the room in a hurry.

"Chaos?"

_Yes?_

"Did he just say that his dating pool didn't have to be totally composed of females?"

_Yep. Looks like you're in luck, Monster Man._

"Do _not_ call me that. And how can you think that _I _am included in the list of candidates?"

_Well, let me think about this for a minute…tall, black hair, red eyes, athletic, more than capable of taking care of his/her self…sounds like _you_. Unless Highwind has the hots for _me_, which I doubt is the case, it is quite likely that you are high on his list of potential boyfriends/lovers/whatever._

"Right."

_You just don't want to believe me._

"I do, it's just…never mind."

_You can be a real pain, Valentine. A real pain._

Cid arrived in the engine room to find Charli berating Reno, punctuating her words with blows from a rolled up magazine.

"Do you have any _idea_ how _stupid_ that was? You could have caused a _panic_! If I hadn't been in the same room with Cloud, Yuffie, and Tifa, they would have all come to see what was up! There was _nothing_ up, you little pest! Bother Yuffie if you must, but doing somethingthis stupid is…is…_ugh_!…I thought better of you. I really did. Now _scram_." Reno scrammed.

"Do I want to know?" Cid asked. Charli turned to face him.

"Probably not."

"Tell me anyway."

"It would seem that Reno has a gift for mimicry that I wasn't aware of. He was the one calling you."

"He was…god, I'm gonna _kill_ that kid! I really thought somethin' was up!" Cid growled. He was about to head for the door when Charli stopped him.

"I clobbered him but good before you got here. Give him time to nurse his wounds. _Then_ you can get him."

"Fine. I'm gonna drop kick his sorry little behind out the cargo hatch and he can walk home," Cid hissed. "What was he _thinking_?"

"Reno is and always has been a joker. I don't think he realized what a problem what he did could've been, since he cries wolf at work on a regular basis."

"And nobody's caught him?"

"Oh, he's been caught alright. Once he scared Tseng so bad that Tseng shot him in the leg. Only a flesh wound, but it just made things even more fun for Reno. He likes to get to people. I'm trying to beat it out of him, but…well, you can see where _that's_ going."

"I'm still gonna murder him."

"Go ahead. ShinRa will send the bill for one loud-mouth desk ornament." Cid snorted, and made his way back to the vents again.

Vincent stayed awake long after Cid had run off, thinking about what had bee said. The chance was enough to make his heart skip a beat every time he thought about it. Chaos was sulking, annoyed at being ignored, not allowed to flirt with Charli, and having to witness the lovey-dovey conversation between Vincent and Cid.

She's not your type.

_How would you know?_

A hunch.

_Then your hunch is dead wrong._

I think not.

_Why isn't she my type?_

Wrong species.

_That doesn't apply to me._

That's disgusting.

_So what?_

Never mind.

'_kay. Get some sleep. You need it._


	6. Crash and Burn

I AM SOOOOO SORRY! I know how long it's taken, and I can't apoligize enough. I've been stuck and busy and a ton of other things. I'll try to get another chapter up ASAP. As per request of...I forget, but you know who you are, Choas gets some more screen time here. Can anyone guess who Mr. Tall Dark and Mysterious is? If yo do, you'll get a prize. (And I mean that. A real prize.) Just review and give your answer, or email it. MAKE SURE I GET CONTACT INFO!

* * *

The ship calmed down by lunch. Reno was in disgrace, but everyone on board had decided to give him the silent treatment. Cid had clobbered him when he dared sneak back into the engine room to beg Charli not to tell Tseng. Reno sat alone, ignored by everyone except for one brief moment when Charli marched over and told him to quit looking so sorry for himself, this was his fault and until he grew up, it was going to remain so. Vincent was still asleep, a fact Charli relayed to Cid, who couldn't decide if he should be disappointed or relieved.

Sometime that afternoon, Charli went to see if Vincent was still asleep. He seemed to be, but the shape under the sheets was an odd one, too big and not quite the right shape.

"Vincent? You okay?" Charli put a hand on what she assumed was Vincent's back. It wasn't. It moved in a way no human back could.

"Oohhh, God. He didn't say it was this bad," the shape under the blankets moaned. The voice was different. Charli pulled back.

"Vincent?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Who?"

"Guess."

"No _way_," Charli breathed.

"Way," Chaos mumbled. "And now I'm paying for it." Charli went back to the bed and pulled the blankets down. Gold eyes blinked sleepily up at her, and Chaos managed a smile. "Hi."

"Vincent let you out?" Charli ventured, pressing her hand to Chaos' forehead.

"Of course not."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Not telling," Chaos said firmly. Charli glared at him. "I'm not telling."

"Tell me now and I won't take your eye out with a thermometer."

"I wanted to see you for real," Chaos mumbled. "He didn't want me to, so I got out after he fell asleep. His cold makes it easier."

"And now he's making you deal with it because you took over without permission, right?"

"That's about it, yeah."

"Well, first off, I'm going to say that it serves you right. Secondly, do you realize how _difficult_ you're making this?"

"Making what?"

"Do you think I've ever handled a demon with a cold before?"

"Er…no?"

"_Exactly_. Sick Turks and ex-Turks I can handle. You, on the other hand, are unfamiliar and not quite human. That makes things a little different. Hell, I don't even know what your normal body temperature is, and considering the fever Vincent's been running, it's a little bit of information I'd like to know."

"101 flat," Chaos offered. Charli sighed.

"You just don't give up, do you?"

"I don't like to, no." Charli shook her head.

"Try not to let anyone see you, and get back to sleep. I'll be in later."

"'Kay."

Chaos waited until Charli had shut the door, then relaxed, smiling. The corner of his mind that was Vincent gave him a vicious dig right above his left eye.

_Does the concept of stupidity mean _anything_ to you_?

She is _so_ beautiful.

_And you are _so_ stupid. Why don't you _think_ for a change? What if someone else had come in? Cloud? Or Tifa? They don't know that you like her. They might have panicked._

But they didn't. Let me back in.

_No. You can stay out there and suffer. It's bad enough having people problems without being sick on top of it. _Vincent sniffed. _And it serves you right._

And people say that _I'm_ cruel.You really take the cake.

_I learned from the best._

Chaos pulled the blankets a little higher and closed his eyes.

_Take care of the body, okay?_

Yeah, yeah, don't worry.

By 6:30, Chaos was awake and bored. Vincent's gun book was of no interest to him. Cid hadn't come by, so he couldn't play matchmaker. Charli hadn't returned. Chaos had to find some way to amuse himself.

"And what do you think _you_ are doing?" Chaos jumped.

"I was- I just- it was- ow!" Chaos yelped. Charli had a firm hold on his ear.

"You're going to make that cold worse. What are you doing, wandering the halls like this? Come on, back to bed with you."

"But-" Chaos began. Charli tugged at his ear.

"But what?" she asked, heading down the hall.

"You said you'd come back and you didn't," he complained, deciding he might as well give a decent reason.

_You sound more like a child looking for his mother than a demon looking for the woman he has an unreasonable crush on._

Shut up.

"I didn't say _when_," Charli muttered. "You're lucky we ate early today. Come on. This is a one-time thing, understand?"

"What is?"

"Just come."

Half an hour later, when Cid was on his way to the kitchen for a cup of tea, he saw something that made him stop and stare.

Charli was on the couch in the common room, reading a book. Chaos was stretched over all remaining space with his head in her lap, asleep with a blissful expression on his face. Charli looked up, saw Cid, and smiled, waving him over.

"Hey, Cap," she said.

"Er…hi, I guess. What's going on?"

"I'm being nice."

"Vincent told you, didn't he?"

"That Chaos likes me? Yep. Chaos got out while Vincent was asleep, and now Vincent won't let him back in, and this is the result." Cid eyed Chaos.

"It's so weird to see him like this. We only ever see 'im when he's on some kinda bloody-thirsty rampage, y'know? He's not as horrible as everyone thought. Kinda cute, actually."

"Am _not_," Chaos growled. Cid jumped. Chaos opened one eye and glared at Cid, who took a step back. "G'way. You're keeping me awake."

"Be _nice_," Charli hissed. Chaos turned his glare into wide, innocent eyes and looked up at her. "Ugh." Charli closed her book over one finger to keep her place and covered Chaos' eyes with her free hand. "There. You can't see him." Cid snorted.

"I can still _hear_ him," Chaos pointed out. Charli stuck her tongue out at him and gave Cid a helpless look.

"Sorry, bossman. Go get your tea, okay?"

Eventually, Charli herded Chaos back to Vincent's room. He did his best to keep her with him, but she managed to slip around his invitations. She did, however, tuck him in securely and kiss his cheek. The delighted sound he made caused her to sigh heavily.

"Chaos, hon, I've got something to tell you."

"Yes?"

_Brace yourself_, Vincent warned.

"About this flirting."

"What about it?"

"It's very sweet, and I'll admit that I'm flattered, but I'm already seeing someone."

"Who?" Chaos hissed, eyes narrowing.

"I'm not going to tell you, and _you_ aren't telling anyone else. If you find out, you will not touch him. You will not threaten him. You will leave him alone. _Understood_?"

Chaos' response was to revert to Vincent so quickly that the gunman had no time to block him. He curled in on himself with a low moan. Charli murmured sympathetically and smoothed his hair out of his face.

"How bad?" she whispered. It took Vincent a moment to find his voice and formulate a response.

"_Bad_."

"That was foolish of him. Are you ready to try medicine?" Vincent nodded miserably. "Okay. I'll be right back." Charli made a quick exit. Vincent turned his head and pressed his face into the pillow.

I hate you, he hissed vehemently. I even _warned_ you. How could you think that a woman like her was single?

_She _acted_ single_, Chaos snapped back.

She didn't _act_ anything, you nitwit. In case you hadn't noticed, she is a natural people-person. Her very nature is friendly and out-going. We got special attention because I'm sick.

_She led me on!_

She did not. She was being nice to you because you were utterly pathetic, and you were sick. If I had asked, she probably would have done the same for me.

_But-_

But _nothing_. You acted stupid, and now you're paying for it. And, to make things worse, you're making _me_ pay for it. Why did you do that? Do you have any idea how rotten I feel right now?

_I couldn't stay and face her_, Chaos mumbled. _It hurt._

Hurt?

_In my chest. I didn't want her to see._

Charli passed Cid on her way to her room.

"What's the rush?" he asked, reversing direction to follow her.

"Chaos left," she muttered. "Rather suddenly. Vincent finally decided to let me medicate him, because of the backlash from Chaos' quick departure."

"What made him leave?"

"I told him something he didn't want to hear, and he took it badly."

"Told 'im you didn't like him that way, right?"

"How did you guess?" Charli asked dryly. She opened the door to her room. Cid followed her in.

"He was bein' real enthusiastic when your name came up in a conversation this mornin'. Vin told me about how Chaos felt, mostly to tick 'im off, I guess."

"Ah." Cid beat a hasty retreat.

When Charli returned to Vincent's room, Cid was nowhere to be seen. Reno was, however, standing in the doorway and apologizing for the disturbance. That had been part of the deal with Cid: If Reno did as he was told, Cid wouldn't drop him out the rear hatch without a parachute.

"An' I'm really sorry. It won't happen again," he promised. Vincent grunted. "So…if anyone else is out for my skin, can I hide in here?" Vincent's rather muffled response sounded like an affirmative, so Reno finished up. "Thanks. Hope you feel better. Bye." He almost ran into Charli on his way out. "Oh…er…Charli…didn't see you there. I was just…um…going, so…yeah…bye."

Charli ignored the babble and went straight for Vincent.

"How long was he here?"

"Couple of minutes," Vincent mumbled, not bothering to look up.

"Not bugging you, was he?"

"No. Seeking asylum, but not being a nuisance." Charli nodded absently and poked Vincent's shoulder in a silent order to sit up or at least roll over so she could get the thermometer into his mouth.

"I see. Vincent?"

"Mmm?"

"How upset is Chaos?" Vincent made a hand gesture to indicate _very_. "I thought so. Is he complaining about it?" Vincent shook his head. "Then I suppose you don't know why he was flirting with me." The thermometer beeped and she took it.

"I think that he was developing real feelings for you," Vincent said softly. "We spoke for a moment after you left, but now he's hiding." Charli groaned.

"I thought he was just being silly. I'll have to talk to him later…I was a bit abrupt."

"He won't listen."

"He'd better," Charli muttered. "He's acting so strange."

"I don't think he ever knew what feelings like his meant. His world has always been death and destruction and things of that sort. No one has ever treated him the way you did. He didn't understand how to handle it."

"First crush and first rejection in a couple of days, then?" Vincent nodded. "Wish I hadn't been the one to do it. Open."

"What _is_ it?"

"It'll help." Charli nudged Vincent's lips with the little plastic cup in her hand. "Take it."

"Not until I know what it is," Vincent said firmly, pushing the invading hand back. "I don't put unidentified substances in my mouth."

"It's herbal, alright? From Wutai. Now take it before I decided to force feed you."

"You wouldn't."

"Don't tempt me. Take the medicine. Now." Vincent hesitated, then took the cup and tossed it back like a shot. He handed the empty cup back to Charli , gagging.

"_Disgusting_," he muttered.

"The worse it tastes, the better it is for you," Charli quipped. "At least, that's what my grandmother used to say about her herbal teas, and she was pretty damn old."

"I'm sure."

Charli left Vincent to sleep, and left.

"I can see you over there, Captain. He's probably asleep already, but you're welcome to go check." Cid swore and stepped out of the closet. "Nice try."

"Thanks."

"Don't wake him, okay?"

"Okay."


	7. You have to want it

Yeah, I know I'm incredibly overdue, and I apoligize. I've been...well, things have been weird. This got done first simply becasue ut appealed at the time...sorry. Anyway, Chaos gets to come out and play a bit here, and, with any luck, Cid and Vicnent's relationship will have been given something of a jumpstart.

* * *

Cid opened the door carefully, hoping there wasn't an angry Chaos or an irritated Vincent lying in wait for the next person to walk through the door. There wasn't. There was, however, a restless shape fidgeting on the bed. After making sure he couldn't see anything remotely resembling wings, he crossed the room and laid his hand on Vincent's shoulder.

"Can't sleep?"

"_No_," Vincent hissed vehemently, rolling onto his back with a heavy sigh.

"Why not?"

"I don't _know_."

"Don' have t' get mad at me for it," Cid sniffed, faintly offended. Vincent turned to look at him.

"It's not _you_, per say. It's…_everything_."

"Everything bein'…what?" Vincent pushed himself up into a somewhat upright position with his elbow, then launched into an explanation that had Cid surprised.

"Chaos and Reno and Charlotte and this thrice-damned cold and the medicine that _woman_ gave me and the various unexpected turns my life has taken and this headache and _you_ and _her_ and _this_ and…and…ugh!" Vincent dropped back to the bed and yanked his pillow over his head. Cid stared at him.

"Y'know…that has to be the most emotional I've _ever_ seen ya in all the time I've known ya."

"I have good reason," Vincent grumbled. Cid lifted one corner of the pillow, uncovering one glaring red eye.

"Which one?"

"_All_ of them."

"Pick one."

"Why?"

"So I know what not to bring up." Vincent rolled his eye and yanked the pillow back down. He went quiet for a few minutes. "Cat got yer tongue?"

"Just deciding which one."

"And the verdict?"

"A tie between Chaos and you, I think."

"And Chaos means a headache, right?" Vincent nodded. Cid shook his head. "So that whole mess of reasons really ties into just a couple of 'em." Cid snatched the pillow out of Vincent's hands.

"Precisely. Give that back." Vincent reached for the pillow, which Cid was holding just out of reach.

"No. Yer gonna suffocate yerself." Vincent glared daggers at Cid, who ignored them and put the pillow down well out of Vincent's reach. "An' then who'll keep me company before everyone else's up? I'll go nuts."

"I'm sure you'll find something to occupy your time. Charli seems to be the early-riser type."

"I hardly know her," Cid snorted, reaching out and pushing Vincent to look away from him. "Hold still an' I'll work on that headache." Vincent thought about resisting the push, but gave in when Cid began rubbing his temples, the same way he'd done the day before. It did help, a bit, and it was a good excuse to revel in Cid's closeness. He folded his arms under his chest and got comfortable. "'sides, she can't talk to me like you can."

"How so?" Vincent asked vaguely. The steady motion of Cid's hands was making him sleepy.

"She's a she, to start with. She's bossy, for another. You and I, we've fought the same fights, haven't we? We've mourned the same dead, an' we've both dealt with Yuffie when she's motion-sick. Charli can talk mechanics with me for hours, but it ain't the same as talkin' or not talkin' to ya when nobody else is up. Who else can deal with me before I've had my tea?" Cid paused, staring thoughtfully at the back of Vincent's head. "An' yer my age, y'know? Charli's, what, twenty-somethin'? It's just not the same, an' I like keepin' things the way they are when they work."

"And I work, do I?" Cid chuckled.

"Sure do. Better 'n anything or anyone else. There's just somethin' about ya. Why? Thinkin' about making yer disappearance from my mornings permanent?"

"The thought _had_ crossed my mind," Vincent admitted. Cid let go of his head and grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to roll over and look him in the eye.

"Don't ya dare," he said softly.

"HighWind?" It was all Vincent could do to get those two syllables out. The look on Cid's face made any more than that impossible.

"Don't _ever_ say that." The blue eyes had gone dark, and Cid's grip was getting to the point of pain.

"You're hurting me." He said it because it was instinctive and because his shoulders hurt. He hadn't intended what happened next.

Cid let go so fast that Vincent fell back onto the bed with a thump, then got off the bed and out the door before Vincent could get a word in.

Reno poked his head in less than sixty seconds later.

"You okay?" he asked, making sure most of his body was out of Vincent's room.

"Fine…just…fine…why do you ask?"

"Cid just knocked me over on his way out of here…did something happen?"

"It was nothing. What are you doing back down here?"

"I've been locked out of my room. I think Yuffie's in there, but I don't really know. I…never mind."

"You're welcome to camp out on the floor. My traveling things are in the closet," Vincent murmured. Reno hesitated. "Come in. I'm not going to shoot." Reno scurried inside and closed the door. He was wearing pajamas with fireworks printed on them. They were too small. Noticing the look Vincent was giving them, Reno went pink.

"They're Cloud's. I went to him first, and he gave 'em to me, but wouldn't do anything else. Quit starin'."

"_Cloud's_?"

"Yeah…he said Marlene gave 'em to him for Christmas. I look ridiculous, and I know it, so don't say anything else." Reno crossed the room in a huff and dug in the closet, finally coming up with Vincent's practically unused bedroll. "It's not funny."

"You deserve it," Vincent shot back. Reno dropped the bedroll.

"Say that again," he said slowly.

"No."

"What's _happened_ to you?" Reno breathed.

"Nothing has happened, Reno."

"Yeah, something has. You just snapped at me. You _never_ snap. At _anyone_."

"I simply choose not to. If it bothers you that much, you can go sleep in the hold." Reno winced and busied himself with unrolling the bedroll.

"Sorry, it's just…everyone is acting strange, an' I thought you'd be normal still," he mumbled. Vincent felt somewhat guilty.

"Things have been very odd lately, and they're getting to me. I-" Vincent broke off to yawn. "I apologize for snapping. My day has gone from bad to worse. I had no right to take it out on you." Reno looked taken aback.

"'s okay. Can't blame you, bein' sick an' all." Reno slid into the bedroll and propped himself up on one elbow. "Feelin' any better?"

"Not much. I'm waiting for whatever it was that Charli gave me to kick in." Reno nodded sagely.

"That nasty herbal stuff, right? Tastes like crap, but it works. Should've knocked you out, though. What's keeping you up?"

"I don't know. It's made me groggy, but nothing beyond that." Reno looked thoughtful.

"Could be 'cuz of what Hojo did to you, y'know? It usually puts _me_ out in a couple of minutes…knocked Tseng out right off…the second time, anyway."

"Second time?" Vincent repeated, curious.

"First time, he puked. All over Charli. She didn't even blink. Didn't say anything for a minute, though."

"Shock, I imagine."

_Or disgust._

Welcome back. Vincent murmured, surprised.

_Thanks. Are…are you okay?_

Not yet, but I'm getting there. You?

_I'm not sure._

"I think she was just surprised that it was Tseng," Reno continued, apparently oblivious to the vacant look Vincent tended to get when he was concentrating on speaking with Chaos.

"What?"

"Well, Tseng's the kinda guy that's never ruffled. Bet he could crawl out of a swamp and still look good. He doesn't say when something bothers him either, or when it hurts, unless it's really serious. And he never gets sick. Kinda like you, actually. Then, this one afternoon, we come in an' he's just sitting at his desk with his head on the desktop looking terrible, and Charli went after him."

"Like she did for me," Vincent murmured. Reno nodded.

"_Exactly_ like that. Only she didn't give him a chance to handle it on his own. She just turned his chair around and told him he was gonna take the medicine she was giving him, and there would be no arguing. He didn't argue, but it came right back up. I'd never seen him blush 'til then, but he did, and he was apologizing like she was gonna kill 'im."

"Tseng blushed?"

"Yep," Reno said, grinning. "Red as my hair. It would've been funny if it hadn't been Charli. Why?"

"He doesn't strike me as the blushing type."

"He's not. But it's Charli. I mean…that counts for something."

_What?_

"That didn't make much sense, Reno."

"She's _Charli_," Reno said, as if that explained everything. "She's hard not to like, once you get to know her. Tseng always had a soft spot for her. Dunno if he was crushing or not, but he's liked her since he met her. Me too, but not like _that_."

"Ah."

_So what he's saying is that Tseng doesn't lose as many points for blushing because it was Charli and she's his crush, therefore making her an exception to the rule of being embarrassed when one vomits on someone? _Chaos clarified.

That's what I got, yes.

_Weird._

Reno.

_Point taken._

"So…what's up between you and Cid?"

"Mmhmm…_what_?"

_Smooth._

Shut up.

"You an' Cid. I _know_ there's something going on."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well…he keeps coming in here to check on you, and he was running away from here when I saw him last, and the way you reacted when I mentioned him. You jumped. You're hidin' something." Reno smiled and rolled onto his back. "And don't deny it. I'm not a Turk for nothing."

"There's nothing between us," Vincent said flatly. "We are simply friends."

_Bullshit_.

"Riiiiiight," Reno drawled. "You guys've got somethin' else…or you're getting there. Point is, you like him as more than a friend. Bet you've liked him for awhile."

_He's quite perceptive._

"Reno, I don't see how any of this is even _remotely_ your business."

"It's my business because you're the only person on this whole ship that nearly always treats me like I'm worth something. Charli treats me pretty good most of the time, but all it takes is one little thing and she treats me like a kid. You always know when I'm around- everyone does, I guess- but you don't make a big deal about it. I want to know what's going on with you, too. So I can help, if I can."

"Reno, I have never done anything for you to warrant such treatment," Vincent said quickly, stunned.

"Sure you have."

"Like?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear, but he asked anyway. Reno sighed heavily.

"Saved the life of my boss twice. _Twice_. I owe Tseng everything, but I'm never there when he needs me. You've saved him, so I can get another chance. You helped save the planet. I live on it, remember? You don't act like I'm not there. You treat me with at least a little respect. I'm a Turk to you, not a kid out of the slums. And you're letting me stay in here and talk to you. Not many people actually _talk_ to me, y'know?"

"Why don't they?"

_Oh, don't go asking _that

"I goof too much, I guess. It's just the way I am. I don't wanna be perfect."

"Anyone who can become and remain a Turk is worthy of great respect."

"We're getting off topic. You. Cid. What's the deal?"

Should I tell him, Chaos?

_Can you trust him?_

I…I think I can.

_Then go for it. I think I'd like to see you happy for a change._

"I'm not quite sure," Vincent said quietly.

"Not _sure_?" Reno repeated. "What d'you mean not- damn it, scoot over." Before he could protest, Vincent was pushed over to one side of the bed to make room for Reno.

"What are you doing?"

"This is what girls do."

"_Girls_."

"Yeah. At sleepovers and stuff. Elena said so, and I guess she should know. They all sit on the bed or the couch together and talk about things."

"Things?"

_You _don't_ want to know._

"Girl stuff. Like boyfriends. Which is what you an' me are doing." Vincent tucked his knees against his chest and rested his chin on them. This evening had certainly taken a turn for the bizarre.

"You never said anything about boyfriends," he pointed out. Reno sighed and swatted his shoulder gently. Vincent was surprised. People rarely touched him, and when they did, it was never in this reprimanding-but-playful way that Reno did.

_If I didn't know better, I'd say that you two were related somehow. Your nephew or something like that, the way you two interact. It's creepy._

Look who's talking.

_If you were paying more attention to Reno, you'd notice that you're both sitting the same way._

Strange.

_That doesn't even _begin_ to cover it._

"He can't be anything _else_, yo. He's a guy. What did ya expect? A girlfriend?"

"Boyfriend sounds so…juvenile," Vincent mumbled, feeling somewhat foolish. He was, after all, confiding his secrets to this redhead, loudmouth slip of a Turk.

"Does lover sound better? Partner? Significant other? They're all the same thing. Point is, he won't be any of 'em if you don't make a move. You can't just want him; you have to make him know you want him."

"Which makes no sense," Vincent said. "It's not like I can just walk up and tell him."

"Actually, you could." Reno pointed out. "But it wouldn't be…you, I guess."

"And you would know," Vincent sighed.

"Would I?"

"If I either don't or don't want to, it's a guarantee that _you_ do."

"Okay, if you say so. The point is, you have to figure him out on your own. He already likes you, so all you have to do is let him know that you like him back."

"And how do you prospose 'figuring him out'? He just ran away from me."

"Listen to the voice in your head, yo. You'll learn a lot that way." Apparently done with his inspirational talk, Reno slid off the bed and got into the bedroll with a little sigh. "G'night."

_Even Reno thinks you should listen to me_," Chaos gloated. Vincent ignored him and settled down, ready, at last, to sleep. _And you should._

Chaos, I don't know if-

_You can if you quit denying it. I think Cid really does feel for you._

Then explain what he did earlier.

_You scared him. You _did_ say that you'd been considering giving up talking with him in the morning. That's his special time with you, when there's no one else around. Of course he's going to get a little riled up about it._

We'll see.

_That's the spirit._


	8. Resolution

Yes, I know just how late this is. A thousand apoligies, my beloved readers. Now...there may or may not be another chapter to this, an epilogue of sorts. It will entail some Vincent/Cid mush, and the end to the 'who is Charli's boyfriend' mystery. Tell me if you want it written, and who you want to lucky man to be (And if you give me a why, I'll love you forever). The winning man will recieve his place in the end. Oh, and I'm working on the next chapter of NJOotG, for those of you who read it as well. Ciao!

* * *

Vincent woke up with the hiccups from hell. Aside from that, he felt quite a bit better than the day before, and, reasoning that Charli wouldn't attack if he was capable of moving about under his own steam, he got up and headed for the kitchen in hopes of drowning his hiccups before anyone heard him.

_Don't step on Reno_, Chaos reminded him.

I won't.

_Just making sure. Look at him…he takes up so much _space_ for such a skinny person. It's _incredible

Vincent snorted and stepped over one of Reno's outstretched legs (he'd wriggled out of the bed roll at some point), escaping into the hallway. It was still early; only Cid might be up, and he wouldn't be in the kitchen. It was safe, for now.

"Hey there. Feeling better?"

Vincent flinched and accidentally swallowed a hiccup, prompting some undignified spluttering while Charli, who happened to be sitting on the kitchen counter, watched.

"Much, thank you," he answered when he could breathe properly again. "What are you doing up so early?"

Vincent opened his mouth to reply. He hiccupped instead. Utterly mortified, he covered his mouth with his hand and mentally berated Chaos for laughing.

"That's what I thought. C'mere." Vincent raised one eyebrow. "For some odd reason, hiccups tend to be a minor side effect of the medicine I gave you last night. They're not permanent or anything, I promise."

"You could have _warned _me," Vincent grumbled. Charli shrugged and hopped off the counter, bending to rummage in the cabinets.

"Here we go. Quit staring at me and come here. I'll fix those hiccups for you." Somewhat apprehensive, Vincent sidled up to the counter, ready to get out of the way if she produced something as bad as the evil tasting herbal sludge she'd forced on him last night. It turned out to be much less intimidating; Charli was offering a heaping spoonful of sugar to him.

"Sugar?" he asked. Charli nodded.

"Swallow it dry." Vincent gave the spoon a distasteful look. "It should help."

"_Should_?"

"No hiccup cure is 100 successful. Take it."

Reluctantly, Vincent took the spoon and dumped the sugar into his mouth. The irregular crystals made his tongue feel funny and his throat itch, but Vincent knew better than to try and do something about it.

When Vincent was pretty sure he could try breathing or speaking without dying a sugary death, he began on what was intended to be a lecture on warning him about side effects _before _he'd taken the medicine in question. He hiccupped instead. Charli flinched.

"Huh…not that one, then, and I can't scare you."

"Any other –hic- bright ideas?"

"Well…a shot of lemon juice might work, but it'll wreak havoc on your throat. Try holding your breath, maybe?"

"I tried that on the way here. It had no effect."

Charli shrugged.

"I dunno. Drink a glass of water upside down. That worked for Tseng."

_I can't see Tseng with hiccups._

Neither can I.

"Or…um…c'mere."

Warily, Vincent neared the counter again and waited for Charli to do something. She did, after a momentary pause, placing her hand flat against his stomach.

"I want to feel your hiccups."

"You want to what?"

"It's worked before. Hang on, and we'll see if it works."

For a moment, Vincent thought it was working, because the time since his last hiccup was gradually increasing, but then he hiccupped. Charli gave a frustrated moan and sat up straight.

"I give up. You'll have to wait for them to go away."

_Wonderful._

"Thank you for trying," Vincent said, and he headed for the common room to sulk in peace.

_Well, that was effective_, Chaos drawled.

Shut –hic- up.

_You can hiccup in a _mental_ conversation? _That_ takes _talent

Knock it off, Cha –hic- Chaos, I'm not in the –hic- mood.

Whatever response Chaos might have had ready was lost in the demon's fit of laughter. Vincent sighed and folded himself into the corner of the couch, a position he'd always liked. He stared off into space, wondering how to salvage his friendship with Cid, after the fiasco of the night before.

_I dunno how you're gonna do it, but here he comes._

Vincent looked up in time to see Cod headed back towards the bridge, a steaming mug in one hand.

_Go on. Might as well get it over with._

Resisting the urge to nervously run his fingers through his hair, Vincent got up and followed, unconsciously falling into the habit of silent movement that he'd perfected as a Turk. It was just a precaution, after all, ingrained from battle and surfacing because he didn't know how Cid was going to react to his presence.

In the bridge, Cid leaned against a console, too agitated to sit, staring blankly at what would be his third cup of tea this morning, should he actually drink it.

"I," he told the tea, "am an idiot. A first-class one. Someone should give me a medal for being the greatest idiot on the Planet."

"What did you do?"

"Somethin' _really_ stupid," Cid muttered, not aware that the voice he was answering to wasn't one his head had supplied for the tea he'd been addressing.

"How stupid could it have been?"

"_Very_."

"Care to elaborate?"

A part of Cid's brain which was being violently suppressed by the rest of his brain noted that the way the tea talked was very similar to the way Vincent did, but didn't comment due to the lack of attention being paid to it.

"Practically attacked mah best friend and basically ruined any chance at _all_ that I had…with…er…him…" Cid stared blankly at the distorted reflection in his tea for a minute. "Mornin', Vince," he said weakly.

"Good morning," Vincent murmured, settling against the console beside Cid.

"Ah…um…about last night…I'm…I'm really sorry about that…I over-reacted…_really_ over-reacted…I didn't mean to hurt yah, it's just that…that…well, yah scared me, y'know?" Cid fumbled, staring fixedly at the tea. Vincent's hand slid into view and plucked the cup from his hands.

"Now that I'm up here, there is no reason for you to be conversing with an inanimate object," Vincent informed him.

"Yeah, well, I thought you weren't comin' up. You said that last night."

"And I didn't mean it. It was a joke."

"Some joke," Cid snorted.

"Regardless of how rarely I choose to exercise it, I _do_ have a sense of humor," Vincent grumbled.

"Could'a fooled me."

"Would you prefer it if I had Yuffie make me a little flag labeled 'joke' so I can wave it at appropriate intervals?"

Cid laughed at that, giving Vincent time to absently sip from the mug in his hands, pure reflex after countless mornings of doing exactly that. Much to his surprise, the tea was prepared to _his_ specifications, black with just a touch of sugar and cream, as opposed to Cid's preferred 'straight an' strong'.

"That would kill me," Cid announced. "I would die laughing."

"Not a bad way to die," Vincent mused. "Is there a reason this tea is done my way instead of yours?"

"Is it?" Cid asked. He took the mug from Vincent and gulped a mouthful. After he'd swallowed, he pulled a face. "It is. Weird. Guessed I was missin' you."

"I'm touched," Vincent teased, making a little waving motion with one hand. Cid snorted.

"_Don't_ do that," he said. "Not until we're on the ground and this thing ain't flyin'."

Somehow, the conversation ended there, and both men stood, leaning against the console, for several minutes, passing the mug back and forth between them.

"Vince, I-"

"Highwind, I was-"

They both stopped mid-sentence, looking awkwardly at each other.

"I'm sorry, please continue," Vincent said quickly, backing out of being first.

Cid turned a rather attractive shade of red.

_My god, you're frightening when you're in love._

Vincent was too focused on Cid to tell Chaos that he wasn't in _love_, it was just strong feelings for Cid.

_Which is a total lie anyway._

"Listen, I…what I said when you came up here was…it was…I really meant it…an' I was wondering if I still had a…um…a chance."

"A chance at what?" Vincent asked, trying desperately to keep his voice somewhat level.

"At you an' me bein' more than friends."

Vincent momentarily forgot what he was saying.

_He admitted it…_

"I mean…if you're, y'know…not that way, that's okay, but if yah are, then…"

"Are _you_?" Vincent asked.

"Am I what?"

"That way?" Vincent did a reasonable job of imitating Cid's voice. Cid's blush darkened.

"What way?" he stammered. Vincent cocked his head to one side and gave him a questioning look.

"Whatever way you don't know if I am," he said, suddenly preferring to fumble with the complicated explanation instead of giving an answer.

_Just _say_ it already! Gay! _

"Yeah…yeah, I think I am…you?"

Vincent nodded slowly. Cid fidgeted with the mug.

"Um…Vin?"

"Yes?"

"I think I might…y'know…er…"

_What is this, a high school love confession? You guys sound ridiculous! And, even worse, this whole situation is corny! Just kiss him or something!_

"Might what?" Vincent asked. He remembered the discussion he'd had with Cid about the pilot's preferred partner, and the conclusion Chaos has drawn afterwards: _'tall, black hair, red eyes, athletic, more than capable of taking care of his/her self…sounds like _you_.' _Vincent's stomach did that peculiar thing it tended to do lately, whenever he was near Cid.

"Mightloveya," Cid said quickly.

Vincent choked on a mouthful of tea. He'd been hoping for a 'might like ya', or a 'have feelin's for ya', or even a 'wanna try bein' more than friends?'. 'Might love ya' had been so beyond comprehension that he hadn't even _considered_ it to be among the optional ends to that sentence.

"What?" he sputtered, more in an attempt to get a little more time to deal with the tea he'd nearly inhaled than to actually hear Cid again.

"I mean…I understand if ya don't…don't return the feelin's. 's okay."

_Mayday! Mayday! Red alert!_

"_No_! I-I-I mean…no, I do…I ju-just wasn't expecting…" Vincent fumbled frantically for something that would assure Cid of his devotion to him. "You just caught me by surprise, is all."

"Then?"

"I think I might…might…what you said." Vincent blushed deeply.

_Yes! At last!_ Chaos cheered.

"Ya do?" Cid breathed. Vincent nodded. Cid grinned, reminding Vincent of one of the reasons why he was so damn fond of him.

"I do."

_This isn't a marriage ceremony!_

In the awkward minutes that followed, Vincent managed to splash tea on his hand. It startled him more than anything else, but instinct dictated that he yank his hand away at once. Cid, of course, reached over to check if there was a burn, and the mug hit the floor.

"Everything okay up here? I heard something fall."

Rather suddenly, Charli was in the doorway. Cid and Vincent looked at each other, then at Charli.

"We're fine," Cid managed. "Jus…dropped mah tea, is all."

"I see that. I'll take that, okay?" Charli and the mug were gone as fast as Charli had arrived, leaving Cid and Vincent to fumble for where they had left off.

"How does she _always_ do that?" Cid asked. Vincent chuckled.

"She's gifted, " he said. He lifted his hand, which Cid was still holding, and examined first it and then Cid's. The differences were very apparent; his hand was pale and slender, for all that it was strong, and it was unmarked by scars. If it wasn't attached to him, he might have thought it the hand of an artist or some kind of musician, perhaps a pianist. Cid's hand, on the other…er…hand (_that's horrible_, Chaos complained) was smaller and bulkier, his palm callused from working and his knuckles battered and scarred from working and fighting. Even so, the hand was capable of small, quick, gentle movements, as his gift with mechanics proved. It was tanned as well, and Vincent couldn't see it on anyone else.

"If you can call it that," Cid muttered. He watched Vincent examine his hand, taking the time to enjoy the feeling of Vincent's skin against his. The contrast was nice- smooth and cool against his warm, sort of leathery skin.

"Highwind?"

"For the last time, it's _Cid_."

"Cid, then."

"Yeah?"

"I think I might love you as well." It was much easier to say it when they weren't actually on the subject.

_See? I told you!_

Cid's smile was shy, but it lit up the room. Vincent returned it. Chaos sighed heavily.

_This is it, I suppose. I'll have to start noting his good points, if you're really going to be his…whatever._

"So…um…how are we gonna do this, exactly? I mean…I'm all over th' place, an' I really have no idea what it I you do when yer not with one of us."

Vincent considered this for a minute.

"I suppose I could come with you…I travel as it is, and your method of travel is quite a bit faster than mine," he murmured, thinking aloud for Cid's benefit.

"Breakfast!" Charli yelled from somewhere below them. Cid whirled to check the clock.

"It's that late _already_?"

Vincent peered over his shoulder with interest, wondering just how long their confession (if it was to be called that) had taken.

"So it would seem."

Cid jerked, not expecting Vincent's voice to come from right next to his ear, and whacked Vincent in the chin with his shoulder. There followed some inventive swearing from Cid, interspersed with apologies, and some almost-but-not-quite muffled curses from Vincent.

_Well _that_ was graceful_.

Shut up.

_You've been telling me that a lot lately._

You've been a real pain lately.

_Touché._

Eventually, Vincent convinced Cid that there was no harm done and they laughed about the incident, likening it to something Yuffie might and probably had done.

On the way down the stairs, Cid caught Vincent's hand and squeezed it before letting go again. When Vincent gave him a questioning look, he shrugged and responded with a goofy grin.

"Jus' felt like it," he said. Vincent smiled and copied him, almost giddy with delight.

_I am _not_ going to remark on how sickeningly sweet you two are being. _

Good.

_Know what?_

What?

_Your hiccups are gone._

They are…I hadn't noticed until now. Odd.

_Great. One more thing to add to Highwind's résumé. Pilot. Mechanic. Comrade in Arms. Tea-Addict. Hiccup Cure._

Vincent snorted.

"What?" Cid asked.

"Chaos," Vincent said, gesturing at his head.

"Now what?"

"Just listing your virtues."

"Which are?" Cid prodded. Vincent shook his head. "Tell me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"You don't need to know."

"'course I do! It's about me!"

"No."

"C'mon, tell me."

"He wasn't being very nice."

_I was too!_

"Then I _really_ wanna know what he was sayin' 'bout me. Spill."

"Never."

Cid and Vincent continued the argument all the way downstairs, and, as a result, didn't notice two people standing together in the doorway to Charli's room.

"That was fast," Reno observed.

"Not really. The resolution was, but this…thing, I guess, has been brewing for awhile." Charli grinned. "I love it when a plan works out."

"Tell me you didn't plan him getting sick, yo. That's just plain mean."

"Nah, that wasn't me. But I've been pushing them forward since I came on board. Can't say I expected _your_ involvement, though. What brought on the sudden desire to matchmake?"

Reno shrugged.

"Dunno. Seemed like the thing to do, yo."

"And _that_ was the logic behind it? 'Something to do'?"

"Yup."

Charli grinned and tugged on Reno's ponytail.

"Y'know, sometimes I think you're worth all the trouble you get me into."

"Thanks."


	9. Fireworks

Aaaaaaand...I'VE FINISHED A STORY! ((Does a happy dance)) Here we have the final chapter of Kicking and Screaming. Now we know who Charli's specail someone is, Chaos makes a final appearance, and we round it all off with a nice little helping of fluff. For those of you who don't already know, I've got a poll up on my profile. I'd really appreciate it if you'd go and vote on it. Pretty please?

And another thing: Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year to all of you!

* * *

They arrived in Wutai in time for the Year-end festival. Yuffie had, of course, planned this, and managed to convince her friends to stay for it. There followed two days of preparations. The festival began on the thirteenth, and ran through the fifteenth. The last day was what they were looking forward to.

/December 15- 6:25pm/

The whole gang was out on the streets, dressed in everything from traditional kimono to a lot of black leather (Charli/Yuffie/Tifa to Vincent). They wandered in a happy group, Yuffie pointing out things she deemed important. At the back of the group, Cid's hand, ungloved and cold, was held by Vincent, who quietly admonished his companion for not bringing gloves. Reno had been appointed Yuffie's official companion and was, as a result, being subjected to all sorts of games and facts that no one else had to deal with. He was grinning anyway.

At some point, a tall figure wearing a kimono snuck up behind Vincent. He tapped the ex-Turk on the shoulder. Vincent turned at once, pulling Cid with him.

"I was wondering when you were going to get here," Vincent murmured.

"We hit a storm on the way in. Is she up front?"

"With the other girls. Is she expecting you?"

"Of course not. As far as she knows, I'm still in Midgar."

"Does she _do_ surprises?" Cid asked, stepping a little closer to Vincent for warmth.

"Only when they come from me."

"Good luck," Vincent and Cid said together. The man grinned and slipped back into the crowd, making his way towards the rest of the group.

"Did you know it was him?" Cid whispered. Vincent had to lean down for Cid to have easy access to his ear, and he squirmed a little when Cid got closer than necessary.

"Of course," Vincent answered, turning to get his ear out of the way before he started laughing and drew attention to himself.

"_How_?"

"Something Reno said."

"And you just _knew_, just like that?" Cid muttered, stepping closer to Vincent for warmth.

"More or less. Are you trying to get under my cloak?"

"No, I slipped. You're _sure_?"

"Yes."

"That's just _weird_."

"Mmhm."

Cloud walked alone, perfectly content to just watch while everyone else participated. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone slinking around a group of giggling girls (they'd been following him for the better part of the last twenty minutes)). That intrigued him; why would someone be taking such pains to keep out of the way? He followed the stranger.

"Why are you _following_- oh, it's only you."

"Only me? Who did you think I was? And what are you doing here?"

"I thought you were either some nut or Charli. I am not here, understood?"

Cloud nodded.

"You're here for her, aren't you?"

"What makes you think that?"

"If it was Reno you were after, you probably wouldn't be sneaking up on him, and I can't imagine who else you might be here for that warranted slinking around like a criminal."

"True."

"I won't count myself responsible if she beats you half to death for startling her."

"I won't expect you to. Don't worry; she won't hurt me."

"There's a first time for everything," Cloud muttered, but the other man was already gone.

"_There_ he is!" someone squealed. Cloud whirled. His admirers were back.

Way up front, Reno was grudgingly allowing Yuffie to feed him grilled squid when he saw someone oddly familiar heading towards him.

"Hang on a sec, Yuff. I'll be right back."

"Be quick."

Reno stepped away from her, moving to a spot that was directly in the stranger's path.

"You're going to give me away," he hissed at Reno.

"What are you _doing_ here? She's going to think I had something to do with this."

"Don't you want credit? I'm sure you've done something to get yourself into trouble with her, and the bonus points might be helpful."

"I've already cleared my record, thank you very much."

"Who helped you?"

"Come _on_, I'm not _that_ bad. I did it myself."

"Right."

"I did!"

"Keep it down. I'm not sneaking around just for kicks."

"Then what _are_ you sneaking around for?"

"Don't ask."

"I'm asking."

"And I'm not telling. Get back to your date."

"She is _not_ my-"

"Go. Now."

Reno went.

Further back, Charli and Tifa examined a table of dolls. Neither one of them noticed the shadow sneaking up behind them until it reached out and tapped Charli's shoulder. She jumped, turned around to see who was touching her, and squeaked.

"_Tseng_!"

"Yes? _Umpf_!"

Tseng had to fight to keep his balance, and Charli wasn't helping, practically wrapped around him as she was. Tifa hurried over and grabbed Tseng's shoulder to help.

"You're _here_! Rufus said you had to _work_! Why didn't you _tell_ me?" Charli shrieked.

"_Throat_," Tseng wheezed. Charli let go of him, and he rubbed at his throat, giving Charli a _look_.

"Sorry."

"I take it you've missed me."

"Don't let it go to your head."

"I won't."

"You're too secretive for your own good."

"Charlotte, a surprise isn't a surprise unless it's surprising. I couldn't tell you and have gotten away with it."

"Don't call me Charlotte."

"Then what _should_ I call you?"

"Charli."

"But you're not a man, and I don't swing that way."

"Smart alec."

"You know it."

"I expect a proper hello, you know."

"I was waiting for your initial excitement to wear off."

Charli planted her hands on her hips and glared at Tseng.

"It's worn off. I want my hello."

"And if I say no?"

"I'll sic Reno on you."

"He's on my side," Tseng countered, copying Charli's position.

"I'll sic Vincent on you, then."

"Since when does he listen to _you_?"

"Since recently," Vincent answered. "I'd give up, if I were you. You'll lose this one." He continued past, with Cid half under his cloak and looking very pleased with himself. Tseng turned to watch them.

"When did _that_ happen?"

"A couple of days ago. Do I win?"

"I suppose."

"Do I get my hello?"

Tseng sighed, as if a simple 'hello' was a major undertaking, and wrapped his arms around Charli.

"That's bet-ack!"

Tseng grinned down at Charli, who was suddenly hanging onto his shoulders and looking less than pleased with him.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't mean a _dip_. All I asked for was a _hello_."

"I never do things halfway," Tseng said smugly. Before Charli could speak again, he kissed her. When he'd finished, he stood her back up.

"Hello, Charli."

"Hi, Tseng."

"You're dating _him_?" Yuffie squeaked.

"Mmhm." Charli was already over her moment of hyperactivity. She stood with her back against Tseng's chest and his hands around her waist, entirely calm. "Why?"

"But he's…you're…and…and…you're both-" Reno shoved a large bite of squid into Yuffie's mouth.

"Shush," he said. "They work just fine together, and _I_ should know."

Yuffie glared at him, but didn't try to say anything.

"It's getting late. If we're going to watch the fireworks, I suggest we find a place for it," Tseng murmured.

"Yeah. Maybe somewhere _inside_, before those girls find me again." Cloud was back.

Tifa's phone rang.

"Hello? Vincent? Where are you? Really? Yeah…Tseng too…you knew? Oh, I suppose so…do you know where-hi, Cid…mmhm…okay, we'll be right there." Tifa hung up and put her phone away. "Vincent said he and Cid have saved us a place on the roof of the Library."

"Yes!" Yuffie cheered. "That's one of the best places to watch from!"

"Lead the way."

Every year, Wutai's main Library opened its doors (and its roof) to festivalgoers. Chairs and benches were arranged in small groups, waiting to be filled.

Over near the north corner, Vincent spread his cloak out on a bench and settled down. Cid stayed near the wall, staring out at the city.

"Aren't you going to sit down?"

"Uh…yeah." Cid settled on the edge of the bench.

"Something wrong?"

"They're not all gonna take it the way Tseng did, y'know."

_Oh, here we go_.

"This coming from the man who had a bikini babe painted on his last airship?" Vincent chuckled. "The people whose opinions I care about know that we're different, and they won't care."

"Do you just block Yuffie's presence out completely?"

"That isn't possible, and you know it. Her reaction will be…interesting, I'm sure, but not all bad. She'll get used to it. She's gotten used to me, after all, and _who_ said that she never would?"

"I did," Cid admitted. "But…"

"But what?"

_I do __**not**__ like where this is going._

Shut **up**.

I'm just saying- 

And **I'm**saying shut up.

_Fine, fine_.

"This is really different from everything else. The thought of mebbe havin' t' choose between you and them…I'd pick you, and then…"

"They'd never do that to you, or to me. Trust me; we'll be fine."

Cid smiled faintly.

"What'd I do without you?"

"Freeze. Come here; just watching you is making me cold."

Cid nodded and shifted, moving so that he was tucked up against Vincent's side. Vincent put an arm around his shoulders and let his head tilt sideways so it rested against Cid's.

"What do you have against cold weather?" Cid asked, brushing a few strands of Vincent's hair out of his face.

"Too many snowballs down the back of the neck when I was a kid," Vincent answered. Cid snorted. "What?"

"_Right_."

"It's true."

"I'm _sure_." Cid laughed and pressed closer to Vincent. "I wasn't cold until you mentioned it," he grumbled.

"You were, you just didn't notice."

"Yeah, I was too busy watching you."

Somebody get me a bucket! 

What happened to learning to like him?

I know, but I- 

Learn to like it, Chaos; you'll be seeing plenty of this.

_Okay, __**fine**__. You want me to like him? I'll __**like**__ him, you conniving pain in the metaphorical ass._

Chaos grabbed a hold on Vincent's physical body before Vincent caught on to what he was up to and shoved Vincent into the back of their mind. Free to do what he pleased, he settled into the body, stretched, and shifted so he could look Cid in the face.

"Vin? What're ya- _Chaos_."

"Hello, Cid," Chaos purred. He was careful to let only his eye color and fangs show through Vincent's form, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

"What are you _doing_ out here?" Cid hissed, trying to scootch away. Chaos was having none of it and grabbed his waist, pulling him back.

"Not so fast. I agreed to like you, for Vincent's sake, but I can't do that with second-hand information, now can I?"

"You are going to be in _so_ much trouble when Vin gets back out," Cid hissed, fighting against Chaos' hold.

"I know. Now stop fighting and let me look at you."

Chaos put one hand under Cid's chin and lifted his face. For several very long minutes he scrutinized every inch of him, saving the eyes for last. When Chaos got to them, Cid watched, surprised, as his hard gold eyes softened.

"_Ah_…I understand now. This infatuation isn't as bizarre as I thought." Chaos pulled back and sighed. "Treat him well, Highwind, or we'll leave you for Charli."

"For _Charli_?" Cid sputtered. Chaos didn't answer, as he had already relinquished control to Vincent.

"He didn't do anything, did he?"

"Just looked at me."

"Good." Vincent relaxed and pulled Cid back into their original position. "I'm sorry about that. He's…well, he's protective, at times."

"He picked a hell of a time," Cid grumbled. Vincent shook his head and let his head fall back.

"But he didn't do anything beyond intimidating you. Relax; the fireworks are supposed to start in a few minutes."

"There they are!" Yuffie called. She ran across the roof and skidded to a halt just behind the bench. "Guys! There're right…over…here." Yuffie stopped jumping up and down and waving and stared at Vincent and Cid for a minute, paying particular attention to the way Vincent's arm was around Cid's shoulders and the way Cid leaned into Vincent's chest. "Oh. Wow."

"What is it?" Tifa asked, coming up behind Yuffie. "Oh, I see."

Cid cringed against Vincent. The ex-Turk just stayed put. He'd endured enough in his life already, and whatever might be said about his choice of partner

"Good for you, Vincent. I was wondering when you'd find someone."

That was _not_ what either Cid or Vincent were expecting. They looked at each other, then at Tifa. She grinned.

"What? You didn't honestly expect me to be shocked, did you?"

"Yeah," Cid mumbled. "Yeah, I kinda did."

Vincent chuckled and leaned over to speak directly into Cid's ear.

"I win."

The fireworks began just after everyone had settled onto the other benches that made up the group Vincent had picked. Cid made fun of Vincent for the little noises of delight he made, to which Vincent responded with a derisive snort and a carefully placed elbow in Cid's ribs.

"It's good luck to kiss during the last display," Yuffie announced during a lull in the fireworks. "Hey! Reno, don't you dare leave!"

"When _is_ the last one? Anyone know?" Tseng asked. Charli snickered.

"In…less than five minutes, I think," Yuffie said. "They'll send up a silver one right before it, so you have a chance to grab someone."

"Do you make a _habit_ of grabbing someone to kiss?" Charli teased.

"_No_."

"There's the silver one!" Tifa's shout caught everyone's attention. Sure enough, a shower of silver sparks bloomed and faded over the city.

Moments later, a rolling chorus of explosions swamped the city as the final display went up. Cid took a quick look at the rest of the gang; without exception, they'd found someone to kiss, for the sake of tradition. He turned back to Vincent and gave him a questioning look.

"We're going to miss the time limit if you don't stop looking around," Vincent said calmly.

"Oh…er…you'r-!!"

Vincent gave up on being polite and gently pulled Cid into a kiss.


End file.
